A group of fraudsters who allegedly committed numerous frauds across the province, including in Olds, were apprehended by Lethbridge police late last month.
On Oct. 25, that city's municipal police department responded to a suspicious transaction in progress at a bank, only to find three suspects with fake IDs, using the identification to falsely obtain account cards, according to police.
Between late September and Oct. 25, the group is alleged to have committed numerous frauds in Lethbridge, Calgary, Cochrane, Medicine Hat, Olds, Didsbury and Airdrie.
The three Quebec residents have been charged with numerous counts related to the offences in connection with the provincewide crime spree where stolen identities were used to raid victims' bank accounts.
“These are individuals who travelled to Alberta with stolen identities for the sole purpose of impersonating unsuspecting people and stealing their money,” said Sgt. Christy Woods of the Lethbridge Regional Police Economic Crimes Unit.
“It's important for the public to know that we take these kinds of crimes very seriously. We know that people work hard to pay their bills and try and save money and it's devastating for them to not only have it taken in this manner, but to have to further invest the time and effort to recover their own identity and restore their credit.”
Police reported that earlier in the day of Oct. 25, a woman entered a bank claiming she had lost her bank card, and was provided with a temporary replacement. About an hour later, she returned and attempted to withdraw a large sum of money.
Bank staff became suspicious and were able to confirm the woman was not who she claimed to be. The woman left the bank empty-handed and was subsequently arrested by police. Two males in a waiting vehicle were also taken into custody.
Further investigation determined that all three individuals were in possession of stolen identity documents, said police. Some of the identity information is believed to have been obtained via computer hacking methods, including use of malware and phishing schemes.
In each jurisdiction, the accused attended multiple banks and payday loan companies and used forged bank cards to withdraw funds from the accounts of victims whose identities the fraudsters had stolen. In total, more than $88,000 is alleged to have been stolen.
Investigation into the matter is continuing and police continue to work with law enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions.
The trio has been charged with counts of identity fraud with intent to obtain property, fraud over $5,000, and many other charges related to identity theft.
